GH : Changes
by HemeraNyx
Summary: Now 16 years old, Sonny and Alexis' daughter Kristina Adella Corinthos must learn to adjust to the dangerous world that she was born into. Please R&R. (This is my first attempt at fan-fic, please be gentle.)
1. Chapter 1

General Hospital : Changes

"What the ….", a loud clanking sound startled Kristina out of her great dream. She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on the clock that sat precariously at the edge of her nightstand. The bright red digital numbers read 5:56 am. A tired hand pushed the clock back to a safer position next to the lamp. Slowly rising to a sitting position, the young woman began to adjust to being roused at such an early hour. Two sets of pink toenails swung over the edge of the bed and slid into a pair of bunny slippers. She stood up, stretching her long limbs as if trying to coax them awake, and trudged out into the hallway. Another clang rang out as she reached the bottom of the staircase. "What kind of nut gets up this early on a Saturday morning?" she asked no one in particular while walking towards the kitchen. There the annoyed teenager found the source of her unwanted wake - up call. ' That answers that question ', she thought to herself as the tall red - head turned around to face her. 

"Morning sister dear", a bright smile greeted her accompanied by the smell of a sizzling western omelet. The cheerful chef took in the appearance of his sister with one sweeping glance. Her long dark hair was gathered in a loose ponytail with several strands sticking out in odd ways. One of the seven dwarfs stared back at him from her nightshirt, the caption above read, ' I'm Grumpy when I'm Sleepy '. At the end of their journey his eyes landed on two rather pitiful looking bunnies, one of which had a button where a googly eye should be. By the time his eyes met with hers again, they found a look that said, ' Are you crazy? '. "My, don't we look fetching this morning", he said in a very bad imitation of a British accent.

"Mike, do you know what time it is? Do you know what day it is? All of the normal people, here on planet earth, sleep in on a Saturday morning. Especially those of us who navigate the Twilight Zone known as high school during the week ", she said. After a quick roll of his eyes, Mike returned his attention to the omelet. "I've learned a lot about time management at school and discovered that the earlier you get started, the more you can get done", he stated over his shoulder. "What has that college done to you? I didn't believe the talk about how Ivy League air affects your brain and turns you into a loser. But ladies and gentleman, here is the scientific proof", she said while pointing to him in a Vanna White - type gesture. "Ha, ha", was his only reply as he slid a perfect omelet onto a waiting plate.

Kristina felt completely comfortable teasing her brother about his school. He knew the entire family was very proud when he went off to Yale, especially his mother Carly. Though Carly was far from being Kristina's favorite person, she did love her son and made sure he had the best of everything. Mike had been there for almost four years and would be graduating soon. However, no matter how busy he got going for his business degree, he always made time to come home and visit. 

"If you stop drooling, I might be persuaded to make you one too", he said, noticing that she was staring at his meal. "Well, since you did wake me at this ungodly hour, it's the least you can do", she replied smiling, with her dimples going full power. 

' She definitely learned that from Dad ' he thought, knowing that they both got whatever they wanted when that smile was flashed. "I'm going to take a quick shower, I'll be right back", she said. She started to leave and noticed the state of the kitchen. "When you finish you'd better get this kitchen back the way it was. If Dad wakes up and finds it like this he'll go into orbit", she warned her brother. He was aware of what a fanatic their father was when it came to his kitchen, but wasn't worried. "Dad hates it when people make a mess in here. When Mom or I even look in the general direction of the stove he starts to twitch", she added, trying not to laugh. Mike was also stifling a grin, considering how true the statement was. "He only chases you and Alexis out because your cooking skills … well, let's face it. … they suck." Kristina opened her mouth wide and gasped in fake horror at her brother's words. "If that weren't true I would be sooo insulted", she stated with her chin in the air. As she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, they both began to laugh. "Since I successfully graduated from the Sonny Corinthos School of Culinary Arts, I have received full kitchen privileges", he said proudly brandishing a spatula around the kitchen. "If you say so. But if I hear an explosion, I'll try to put you back together again Humpty Dumpty", she said as she began to head up to her room.

After a nice hot shower, Kristina put on some comfortable gray sweat pants and a light blue tank top. She slid back into her bunny slippers and looked at them thoughtfully. They had seen better days, and they did seem rather childish for a sixteen year old, but she just couldn't bring herself to part with them. Thinking back to the day her Dad gave them to her made her smile. 

__

"The sales lady said they are _what all the girls like", he said as his daughter opened the wrapped box. Looking down at the fluffy pink bunny slippers with the googly eyes, the girl wanted to laugh. As she turned to her father she had the distinct feeling he had been scammed by some sales lady who had a shipment that she had to unload. He looked so proud that he had picked them out all alone, that she didn't have it in her to break his heart. She turned to her mother who gave her a sympathetic look, and then put on the slippers. "They're perfect Dad", was all she said as her Dad wrapped her in a hug. _

In truth they were her favorite gift. Though they weren't much to look at, they were actually very comfortable. Until the day they no longer fit her she would wear them, and even after that she would keep them. Because they always reminded her of how much her father loved her. She didn't need a physical reminder, but she loved those ratty old bunnies just the same.

"Kris, come and get it!!" her brother's yell broke her out of her reverie, and her rumbling stomach demanded she get down to that omelet. Pronto!

"Good morning family", Kristina said as she entered the kitchen. This time she found that her mother and father had joined Mike at the table. They each had an omelet before them and one was waiting for her. "Morning sweetheart", Alexis said to her daughter as she poured orange juice into four glasses. "Morning honey", Sonny added while putting butter on his toast. Kristina kissed them each on the cheek and sat down to dig into her breakfast. "I never thought I'd see my daughter up before seven on a Saturday", her mother said, before taking a bite of her omelet. "Believe me mom, I hadn't planned on it", Kristina said, staring daggers at her brother. He simply shrugged in her direction and continued to eat. 

"Well Dad, I see you didn't throttle Mike for ruining your kitchen", she said sounding disappointed. "That's because he knows what he's doing", Sonny replied, "he's the only one other than me who does", he added under his breath. "Hey, I heard that", Alexis retorted, smacking her husband on the arm. "Ouch" he said wincing, trying to hide his grin.

"So, what is everyone doing today?" Kristina asked after they'd all finished eating and the kitchen had been ' carefully ' cleaned. Sonny and Alexis both looked at one another, luckily no one else noticed. "There are some contracts that I have to look over, so I'll be at the office for a few hours", Alexis sat on the edge of the couch in the living room as she spoke. "I have some business at the warehouse, but I should be home for dinner", Sonny sat next to his wife on the couch, trying to sound as normal as possible. "Well, I guess that leaves you and me kid", Mike said to his sister, "we can catch that new movie ' Halloween 17 - Please Kill Me ' ". "You're on. Let's go upstairs and check the listings", she said making her way over to her parents. "Have a great day you guys, I love you", Kristina hugged both of them. "We love you too", they said in unison, and watched the siblings head upstairs. They faintly heard one last exchange before the two were out of earshot. "Do you think Max likes horror movies", Kristina asked. "He's a bodyguard, what do you think?" Mike replied.

Sonny was relieved to hear his daughter mention her bodyguard. It saddened him sometimes that she needed such an imposition, in what should be a carefree life. Unfortunately it was a necessity in his business. 

He and Alexis agreed years ago to do everything possible to shelter their children from ' the business '. They'd done a decent job so far, but now it looked like things were heating up. If Sonny had his way, his wife would never have been involved either. He had lost far too many people he loved to the danger in his world. When Alexis lost her sister Kristina (their daughter's namesake) to that same violence, she became consumed with rage. She shut everyone out and became obsessed with finding the person responsible. 

At the time Sonny wasn't even aware that the baby she carried was his, most people thought it was her ex - fiancé Ned's. When she began to investigate and pushed Ned away, he had been desperate to keep her safe. Therefore, he told Sonny the truth about the baby, to make sure she was protected. (He also found out about all the lies his then wife Carly had been telling, which eventually led to their divorce.) When he confronted Alexis about the baby, angry words were exchanged and accusations were made, but it was most important to Sonny that his child and its mother were safe. She however would not be dissuaded from her vendetta. That was when a whole new life began for all of them.

Alexis asked Sonny for something he never expected, to be let into his world. He flatly refused at first, but she threatened to do it on her own, which would be even more dangerous. When she was just his lawyer and friend she had wanted no part of it. Now something had changed in her, there was a new determination in her eyes. Kristina Cassadine's death broke something inside her, but it also gave her a strange new strength. She no longer hyperventilated, she was focused and fierce, and demanded respect simply by walking into a room. Really, only one thing changed his mind. That conversation was burned into his memory.

_"You owe me this Sonny", she said as tears stained her face. He new it was true. He owed her for more things than he could possibly name, but this was a debt he could never really repay. "You understand what you're asking me to do?" he asked, " you realize this isn't something you can just back out of when you're done, this is for life." As they looked into each other's eyes, an understanding passed between them. He saw the fear in her eyes, but even stronger was the determination. She saw his fear for her and their child, but also the recognition that she had to do this. Jason, who had been invited to this meeting along with Benny, pulled Sonny to the side, "are you sure about this", he asked. "No…. but it's the only way I can protect her", Sonny replied. He stepped back towards Alexis, and held out his hand, "Welcome", he said._

That began more trouble than either of them could have bargained for. However, one good thing came from the bad, they realized how they'd always felt about each other and fell in love. That was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Their wedding two months before their daughter was born was one of the two happiest days of his life. When he held his daughter for the first time, he felt as if he'd been born again. So many of his demons had been lifted from him. His father was even there to help him celebrate. Their joy was short lived though, shortly afterward; everything with Alcazar came to a head.

It turned out he had fallen in love with presumed - dead Brenda Barrett. He had become obsessed with her and tried to destroy the men he thought had destroyed her. Alcazar was eventually killed in a shootout on an island and Brenda returned to the land of the living. It brought up memories for Sonny, and he was glad she was alive, but he was too happy with his new family to let it get in the way. Brenda was happy that Sonny had finally found peace. She had never forgotten her love for Jax, and they soon married. (After he discovered Skye's deal with her grandfather.) 

Now Sonny and Alexis could live the life they wanted with their daughter. They both ran the organization together, with Alexis also taking care of the legal end of things. It took time for some of the men to accept Alexis' position, but they began to respect her efficiency and calm manor in a crisis. They also began to value her input on difficult matters that sheer force could not amend. Things had gone relatively smoothly for quite a while, but now a new threat had emerged that could destroy everything. Sonny and Alexis however, were determined that it would not touch their family. Michael and Kristina would be safe. No matter what they had to do. 


	2. Chapter 2

General Hospital : Changes (Chapter 2)

The sunlight from the window glinted off of the diamond ring on Alexis' hand. She remembered the day Sonny put that ring on her finger. It was the happiest she had ever been when they got married. Both of them vowed to always love and cherish one another no matter what difficulties came their way. He had put his hand on her pregnant belly and promised to keep their family safe. The new life they'd begun was so full of promise that it seemed almost unreal. It was a far cry from the future she imagined as a child.

After her mother died, Alexis became withdrawn and turned to her studies for a sense of stability and control over her life. Making it more difficult was the fact that her new caretakers seized every opportunity to make her feel inferior and unwanted. If it hadn't been for Stefan, she might have become a bitter soul instead of just a bookworm. The desire for success consumed a good a portion of her life. Her childhood left her with the feeling that the other parts of life, such as love and a family of her own, weren't really worth pursuing. That was until she met Sonny. In each other they found someone who could mend the wounds the past had inflicted on them. Trusting love was possible, happiness was tangible, and pain wasn't a constant companion. Now something threatened to interfere with what they had built together. Neither of them was going to let it happen.

"You ready to go?" Sonny asked as he came downstairs into to the living room. He returned to find his wife staring absently out of the large picture window. She had a worried look on her face, and he knew what was on her mind. His gaze shifted to the brown package on the table. Ever since it had been delivered she seemed distracted, but put on a brave front so as not to worry him. "Hmm?" she said after a second, finally realizing she wasn't alone. Still staring at nothing out the window, she seemed to shiver as if an invisible breeze suddenly hit her. Coming up behind her, Sonny put his hands on her shoulders and closed his eyes, resting his head against hers. "It'll be okay", he said into her hair, "we'll figure this out." Turning in his arms, she gave him a tight hug. Her eyes fell on the package as she looked over his shoulder. "I know" she replied, not sounding as confident as she meant to.

"They're waiting for us at my office", Sonny said as they released each other. "I told Jason about the package and what's in it. I'm sure we can figure out who's behind it." While trying to reassure her, he picked up the package and headed towards the door. "What about …." Alexis' voice trailed off as she looked towards the stairs. "I'm sending Christopher with Max to guard Kristina and Mike", he said reading her mind. "I told him to stay out of sight. There's no reason to scare Kris until we know more about what's going on." Alexis nodded and grabbed her purse from the desk. Sonny held the door for her and shut it behind himself. "Christopher is on his way, but he'll be shadowing" Sonny told Max, who'd been on the other side of the door. Max nodded his understanding and took his place back in front of the door. When the elevator arrived Sonny and Alexis stepped inside. As the doors closed they looked at each other, knowing that when they returned, things may not be as peaceful.

Mike looked at the movie listings while his sister changed clothes in the bathroom. "What time do you want to try for, 11:30 or 1:00?" he said loudly from his place on her bed. "Let's do the 11:30. After that we can walk around the mall for a while" she replied. "When did this turn into a shopping trip?" he asked as she returned. "Well, the theater is in the mall. We might as well take a look around while we're there," she stated logically. "Besides, you don't know fun until you've taken Max to Victoria's Secret." She began to laugh and relayed the funny story to Mike. 

Kristina and her friends, Madeline and Casey, had gone to the mall to shop for school clothes. When they happened upon the lingerie store they decided to go in. Being a bodyguard, Max unconsciously followed the girls into the store. Once inside, the trio thought they'd have a little fun with him. Each girl would come up to him with some scandalous looking item and ask his opinion. He started to fidget and mumble, and Kristina swore she saw beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Finally she went to him with a black teddy, and asked what her new (non - existent) boyfriend would think of it. Thinking more of what his boss would think, he couldn't take it anymore, and said he'd wait at the store entrance. The wild look on his face had sent the three girls into hysterics. The story became one of legend, and an endless source of torture for Max. After that day, the poor man never saw the place the same way again. Any time they went to the mall now, Max would wait safely outside the store.

When the story was over, Kristina and Mike were doubled over with laughter. It amazed him how well adjusted she was to the constant protection. He had not been as understanding during his early teen years. A thirteen-year-old Michael constantly tried to find ways to lose his bodyguards. Much to their frustration, he was sometimes successful. "I was a complete nightmare for my guards" he said relaying his thoughts. "I know, I've heard some doozies," she responded. Rising from the bed, he looked at her "I'm going to get my wallet smart aleck, then we can go." "Do you know if Mom and Dad left yet?" she asked. "I heard them leave when you were in the bathroom," he answered on his way out. 

After he left, Kristina thought about the look her parents had exchanged when she spoke to them earlier. She always seemed to know when something was bothering them. The three of them had a special connection in that way. Though she knew how strong and capable they were, a daughter couldn't help but worry about her parents. Knowing to a certain extent what ' business ' they're involved in didn't help matters. It was never something they discussed, but the bodyguards and Godfather jokes at school made it quite obvious. Not to mention a troubling occurrence in her childhood. Whenever they seemed troubled about something, it made her a little nervous to think about what might be wrong. However, Kristina was confident her parents would take care of it. "Let's go slowpoke, I don't want to miss the previews", her brother called from downstairs. Blinking away her worries, she headed out to have fun.

Walking into the warehouse Alexis thought about what they were doing there. It was a distraction from her thoughts of what happened to the last warehouse. Many years had passed since that warehouse exploded and killed her sister. The new one hadn't been built in the same place, but it often made her think of it anyway. Since they were there to discuss a possible threat to her family's safety, she was even more aware of the connection. When they reached Sonny's office they found Jason, Benny, and Frank

there talking. "Hey, I told them the basics. Did you get anything else since yesterday?" Jason asked, noticing their presence. "No. All we got was this", Sonny opened the plain looking package and revealed the contents. In the box was a blindfold and a broken figurine covered in a substance that appeared to be blood. "This was in an envelope on top of the box," Alexis said as she handed Jason an index card with a typed message on it. He took the card and read aloud:

****

You think you're important

You're nothing at all

When you reach for the top

You're destined to fall

You won't see me coming

But open your eyes

For soon I'll reveal

My nasty surprise

"How did it come to the house?" Benny asked after a brief silence. "It came by regular mail. Our address was typed on the envelope, but there was no return address." Alexis turned to Frank, a hopeful look in her eyes. "Have your contacts heard anything on the street? Is there any sign of a possible attempt to take over the territories?" ' That wouldn't be a good thing ' she thought ' but at least we'd know what we're dealing with '. "Haven't heard anything like that, but I'll keep an ear to the ground." Frank had been with them since Sorel died. With his territory up for grabs, some of Sorel's men had gotten together to try and take control. Frank was a dock worker then who had heard some very useful information. He'd proven himself to be loyal and trustworthy, and had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. She knew if there were something to find out, he would uncover it. "Until we know who this is, keep everyone on alert. I've put extra guards on Kristina and Michael. You should probably do the same for your family Jason. If something goes down, they'll come after you next" Sonny said to his friend. "Yeah I'll take care of it right now." Jason got up to leave and turned to Benny, "You'd better have that figurine tested it, might give us some clues." Everyone began to leave and get to his or her tasks. Hopefully they'd have answers soon, before it was too late.

Kristina and Mike were walking through the mall with Max in tow. Their movie had let out not long ago, and at least one of them was ready to shop. As they walked, a small dark haired boy ran up to Kristina and grabbed her by the legs. "Kris, Kris!!" he yelled. She bent down for a hug and picked him up. "Hey Zack! What are you doing at the mall?" she asked. "Mommy got me a new toy", the boy replied excitedly. "That's not why we came, but we ended up at the toy store anyway", Kristina looked up to find a tired Gia carrying two large shopping bags. The small bundle of energy hopped down from her arms and went to his mother. He began to pull a box from one of the bags and brought it over to Mike. "Look Mike, it's a Leapfrog," he said proudly. Mike looked at Gia, obviously confused. "It's an electronic game that helps children learn to read," she explained. "He was determined not to leave that store without something, so I figured it should at least be educational. We actually came to the mall for shoes and jeans, since he wears everything down to threads." Zack continued to show them his new toy, uninterested in anything else. "It reads to you" he told Mike. "I'm learning how at school. I know the whole alphabet, wanna hear?" Without waiting for an answer, he began " A B C D ….".

As he sang the familiar song, Kristina looked at his face and smiled. ' He's got to be the cutest kid ever ' she thought. He had his father's sparkling blue eyes and his mother's bright smile. Soft wavy brown hair fell onto his fore head, as he hated to have it cut. She was also certain that no other six year old had as much energy or such an insatiable curiosity. His parents, Jason and Gia Morgan, were hard-pressed to keep up with him. Kristina had been the flower girl at their wedding eight years ago. When their son came along, she fell in love at first sight. Both she and Mike thought of him as a little brother ever since. 

Jason and Gia became close when Kristina turned five. An enemy of her parents took her, and Gia convinced her brother Marcus to help find Kristina. He'd been determined to use the situation to trap Sonny and Jason. Gia however was very stubborn and threatened to expose an incident where he had obstructed justice to continue his vendetta against Sonny. After the missing child was found, Jason and Gia became good friends. It soon led to more when the people they each were seeing became jealous of their closeness and eventually ended the relationships. The couple began dating and married two years later. They often called Kristina ' the matchmaker ', which she found hilarious. When Zachary Morgan was born, no one could resist him. Not even Gia's family, who eventually learned not to hate Jason since he took such good care of his family. They weren't the Brady Bunch, but at least it had become a tolerable situation. Kristina called Zack ' the peacemaker ' in answer to his parents nickname for her. Looking at him as he wrapped up his recitation, Kristina felt it was impossible to have any bad feelings in the presence of such a happy child.

" … Y Z, now I know my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me", Zack finished to applause from a few people who had gathered. Not being the shy type, he then made a small bow. Gia leaned over to Kristina and said in a whisper, "My son the ham." Both of them giggled and they, along with Mike, told the boy how well he did. "I practiced a lot", 

he told them. Gia's cell phone suddenly began to ring. She looked at the number and pressed the button to answer it. "Hi Jase", she said to her husband. After a second she added "We're at the mall getting some clothes, is anything wrong?" "Okay, we'll see you at home in a few minutes" she finished a minute later, then pushed the END button. "Come on Zack, we're going to meet Daddy at home. Bye you guys," she said to Mike and Kristina. They all waved and said goodbye, beginning to head in opposite directions. 

As they started walking, Kristina suddenly had the uneasy feeling of being watched. When she turned the only person she saw was Max. Deciding it was her imagination she kept walking. Little did she know that a figure lie in wait in the shadows. The only thing needed was the opportunity to strike. "It won't be long now. You're going to help me and you don't even know it", the figure said before slipping around the corner and blending into the crowd. 

*** Thanks for the feedback. I'll try to put the next chapter up sooner.

More comments please. ( They're addictive ! )


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